BOYS BASKETBALL: Coleman confident in do-over at Pennsbury

By STEVE SHERMAN, BucksLocalSports

Thursday, December 6, 2012

With 2012 graduation, Pennsbury lost just about all of its starting lineup. Nevertheless, head coach Bill Coleman is confident the incoming group can compete in the Suburban One League National Conference.

Led by 6-foot02 shooting guard Shawn Pepper, the Falcons tip off the season on the road Friday against Prep Charter in the West Catholic boys basketball tipoff tournament. The boys will take the court against PC, John Bartrum and the host team without the services of recent graduates Kieran Bolger, Jerrel Burke, Ryan Charity and Dan Ransom.

The shooting guard and a 1,000-point scorer, Bolger, led Pennsbury, averaging 16 pointspergame. The point guard, Burke, chipped in with a 13 point-per-game average. Charity (eightppg), a forward, and Ransome (fiveppg), the center, were also a big part of the Falcon offense.

While that’s a total of 42 points per game that Coleman needs to replace, the coach thinks he can do it.

“Even though we are young, we are very excited about the season,” said Coleman. “We do have (Shawn) Pepper back, who is one of the better athletes in the district; and we have two other guards who are strong.”

While Mekhi Bryant, a 5-foot-10 sophomore who promises to see time at a number of guard positions, was not on the opening-day starting roster in 2011, he did start the last five games of the season which included playoff wins over Kennett and Methacton.

“Even though he doesn’t have a lot of experience in terms of starting, he’s played in a lot of big games,” stated Coleman.

In addition to Bryant, Pennsbury has junior Steve Ciotti and sophomore Cameron Jones, a 6-foot sophomore who could see time at shooting guard. Junior Pierson Burton, a 6-foot-1 junior also figures into the mix of guards for the Falcons.

“Those four are going to have to pick up the slack in terms of guard play,” said Coleman.

“We lost 29 points a game in Kieran and Jerrell. That’s a ton of points to make up but I am very confident that those guys can do it.”

While Bryant got significant minutes playing varsity last season, Jones and Ciotti are coming up from the JV squad.

“Being so young, they’re going to have their ups and downs. You have to put them in the right spot in order to minimize that volatility.”

“But I think in the end, we’re going to be fine.”

Coleman is hoping to get some additional contributions from seniors Blake Kovin and Daquan Mack, players just coming onto the hardwood from the gridiron

“They are getting into basketball shape slowly from football season,” explained Coleman.

“Even though Daquan is a football player, he’s a pretty decent athlete so hopefully he can spot some time to help us manage the bodies.”

Filling in the void at center is Aamir Williams, a 6-foot-3 senior with a long reach.

***A LOOK BACK AT THE STREAKLast season, after going 5-5 in their first 10 games including back to back losses suffered at the hands of Council Rock North, the Falcons won 12 of their next 13, including their District One playoff opener against Kennett.

While Pennsbury opened the month of January with back-to-back wins over Abington and Hatboro-Horsham, the Falcons got walloped by state qualifier Council Rock North in Newtown. In an ensuing road loss at Truman, Pennsbury watched a five-point halftime lead evaporate as the Tigers outscored the Falcons, 42-23, after the break.

“We got our butts handed to us by North; they beat up on us pretty good. Then we came back and lost to Truman,” explained Coleman. “Then we just went on a roll.”

With a rowdy and raucous home crowd behind it, Pennsbury won 12 straight at home and went 13-2 on the season at the Falcons’ Nest. A single loss to district semifinalist and state qualifier Abington was the only thing that separated Pennsbury from a 13-game late-season win streak.

“The guys finally realized we had a good thing,” explained Coleman. “It was just a matter of them completely buying into what I was preaching and to what the coaching staff was preaching.

“It finally clicked in; when that happens, there’s no telling how far you can go.”

During the run, the Falcons defeated state qualifier and D-1 sixth-place finisher Souderton, 49-47, at home. In a 47-all deadlock with the Indians with five seconds left, Pennsbury got a shot off that missed. Luckily, Ransom was there for the rebound and the ensuing putback from 10 feet out.

In addition to beating state quarterfinalist Coatesville in a shootout at home, the Falcons erased both halftime and third-quarter deficits against district qualifier CB South to edge the Titans 43-42 on a pair of free throws by Pepper with less than five seconds left in the game.

What impresses Coleman the most is the support for the program from the fans.

“Seeing the quality basketball that Pennsbury is capable of. Seeing the support that the school and the community gives, it’s just amazing.”

The Nest was on fire in the opening-round district win over Kennett, as Bolger reached 1,000 points in a mid-February matchup for the Falcons.

“The support that you get here -- you hardly ever see that in a high school gym,” the coach stated. “The guys get all excited when they see that.”

While the faces change, the one remaining constant is the grittiness the Falcons bring to the court, said Coleman, in his third year coaching at Pennsbury.

“The kids here are tough. That was the one thing I had always heard before I took over. They’re a tough bunch of kids and will work their tails off for everything that they get.

“That’s been pretty constant; they all want to get better.”

***NOTES: After falling in the District One semifinals last season, the favorite to win the SOL National Conference is Abington. Bolger is currently playing at Widener. Burke is playing at Rise Academy. Charity went to Cabrini and Ransome is playing in a JUCO program is Texas — San Jacinto. Zach Sibel, who graduated in 2010, is playing at DelVal. Jones is a cousin to Torian Jones. His dad Gary played at Pennsbury in the early-1980s. Uncle Mike Jones was a starter at Pennsbury who went on to play hoops at Rutgers.